With another goal from Lionel Messi (his ninth in six games) and the first from Jordi Alba in the pink jersey, Inter Miami defeated the Philadelphia Union (4×1) and got a ticket to the final of the Leagues Cup.
The first target of the visit fell as early as minute threewhen the Venezuelan Josef Martínez stung into space and defined the cross to open the scoring.
Until then (and even a while later) Messi was hardly noticed in the Subaru Park field. However, at 20′ the Argentine came out of inactiontook the ball in three quarters of the field after a pass from Martínez and shot from outside the area to make it 2-0 on the board.
The classic lace came in the discount of the initial half once Jordi Alba was unmarked and received an accurate pass from Robert Taylor which, in the end, ended with the ball at the bottom of the Philadelphians’ goal.
Thus was sealed a success that had been glimpsed as the most complicated for the Miamians in the tournament that brings together MLS and LIga MX squads, given that the locals had gone 15 consecutive games without losing on their own pitch.
In addition, the Philadelphia Union was endorsed by the fact that it was the reigning US elite level runner-upand on top of that, they had only conceded four goals in this edition of the Leagues Cup.
The reaction of the host team, very late (minute 73), came through their captain Alejandro Bedoya, who took advantage of a series of rebounds in the area. At 84′, however, the Honduran David Ruiz chipped away at a great assist from DeAndre Yedlin and buried all hope of the home squad.
Inter Miami, which before the arrival of Messi and his former teammates at Barcelona accumulated one failure after another, will now play the final of the event next Saturday against Nashville, who won 2-0 over Monterrey.
Previously the ‘Herons’ had arranged Blue Cross, atlanta united, Orlando City, Dallas and Charlotte.
